Be careful girl in the picture, that guy by the window is about to whip something out!

I have some items that I spent A LOT of money on and some that I got for $5.
The cheap ones DO fall apart and wreak a lot quicker then those expensive things.
I think it's worth it to spend more if you can.

Who said, "Yes, always"? Seriously? People believe that?

I said sometimes... it really depends on the item you're talking about... like make-up and things like that I tend to spend more money on only because I need to use ingredients that won't irritate my skin... but clothes and stuff like that I tend to only splurge on once in a while if its something really special.

I have some pretty cheap things lying around that have lasted quite some time. Sometimes you just need to take care of things. Think about it... you have a nice Dooney bag that you treat like a baby yet you use and abuse the heck out of the $20 bag you got down the street. And just because it costs thousands of dollars does not guarantee it to be a great buy- some of the time those things look hideous or don't really last like they should.

I don't think $$$ equals better.

I think it all depends on how you take care of things. I think as long as it's not too shabby and you take care of things you don't necc need to spend tons of money.

Big bucks does not always mean top quality but we must admit there's a minimal price to pay to get a good quality. You cannot expect to get ... let's say a genuine leather coat for $10 ... On another hand, adding thousands and thousands to the price will not mean the quality is better. Unfortunately it is not always easy to find the right price to pay for a good quality.

Expensive things, don't need to be better. But in shoes and jewels i think that they are better

I worked at Neiman Marcus and I can tell you unequivacally that expensive does NOT always mean better. It depends on the item, the material, and the manufacturer. I have things from Target that have outlasted items I bought at NM ... who'da thunk it??

I think it depends on the item as well. That statement "You get what you pay for" is so true in some cases.

It all depends, and also a lot of the older "quality" design houses have grown away from the handmade merchandise...so the "quality" isn't always there!!!

I think it really depends on what it is.

Some items can be quality with a great little price tag. That's my favorite!!

I love bargains! But it really depends on how long you need an item. Especially when shopping for trendy tops.. it's not worth buying something super expensive when it's only in style for a few weeks/months then pushed to teh back of the closet forever. The classics are worth spending big on.

It depends on the brand/item. For instance, my Marc Jacobs bag is very well made with soft, buttery leather and excellent quality stitching. But I've looked at much more expensive bags that aren't as well made.

I got a Shaft-like leather coat at a garage sale for $5. Best bargain I ever got. I still like to brag about that one. Hee.

A lot of things unrelated to quality affect prices. Like the rent costs of the storefront where it's being sold. And whether the brand is about quality or about "selling the brand identity/lifestyle" (some are both, but some are the latter over the former, in which case the majority of your dollars goes towards fancy advertising campaigns instead of the quality of the item).

On the other hand, some companies use more or less slave labor to make their items, and that means the quality of the item could be disproportionately high for the dollar amount at which it's being sold. In which case, some of us might chose to avoid those bargains for reasons other than quality of the product itself.

But I wouldn't say there's never any correlation between quality and price. So I go with "sometimes".

not necessarily, unfortunately.

I actually remember reading an article about a study that found that there was no substantial difference in quality between high-dollar clothing and the reasonably-priced kind. Most of the time, the reason those clothes cost what they do is because you're paying for the brand name.

I do not think anyone expects that a $20 bag is of the same quality as a $200 or $2000 bag. But I very much doubt that when you pay $$$$ for a top-brand bag that you pay only for the product's materials, craftsmanship and ... the company's margin.
It goes without saying that every product's cost is augmented by the expensive ads, the celebrities' fees that model for them, the luxurious shops where they sell them, the salaries of top-notch executives & staff that they need to have and all the other "marketing expenses" like giveaways to VIPs. And this goes for every industry - not only fashion. Besides, by being expensive you filter, up to a certain point, your clientèle. So, in many ways, you pay for the brand's name, allure & reputation and not just for the actual product.

Not always.

I think with most clothes, there's not a ton of difference between less expensive (say, department stores like Macy's) clothing and designer stuff. However, I recently bought a Tracy Reese bag that is so much better quality than anything I could buy at Target. Same goes for shoes most of the time, ESPECIALLY high heels-- I find that well made, expensive ones are easier to walk in than the cheaper ones that don't last as long. It really just depends on the item. And I'm sure there are plenty of designer bags and shoes that aren't the best.

The difference between $5 and $50 for a similar item is production quality, but the difference between $50 and $500 is production numbers or brand-name prestige.

Stick to the middle path and you generally won't be disappointed, or waste money on something you'll be bored with in a year.

I feel like it used to, but not anymore. Now that everyone is coming out with higher priced lines and everything is generally so expensive.

I have these expensive shoes I bought a long time ago and they have been worn to everything, have lasted, and are extremely easy on my feet. When I bought them they were the most expensive ones I owned ($200). I recently bought some for $160 and they were awful! After one day on my feet they were not holding up and my poor feet were dying. I was extremely upset. And the worst part is I can no longer find good shoes at that price, because the brand where I bought my other shoes (which I still own and wear) now charges at least $400 a shoe. And the "cheap" brands don't hold up at all, but since when is paying over $80 for shoes cheap??

foo, i voted wrong, meant to say "sometimes, depends on the item." because it really does. it also depends, like a lot of others have said, in how you treat it.

foo, i voted wrong, meant to say "sometimes, depends on the item." because it really does. it also depends, like a lot of others have said, in how you treat it.

There is definitely a difference between cheap and quality materials, but after a certain point you are paying for the label, marketing expenses, etc.

I think you really need to examine the product and decide what is worth spending money on. For example I like to invest in handbags, shoes, and jackets... basically staples that will get a lot of wear. But I also love h&m etc and I think that is great quality for the price...

Does anyone remember Von Dutch ? that was the worst quality stuff I have ever bought... t-shirts for $120 that fell apart and faded after a few washes.

To sum up: it's all relative ! I love it all, a great bargain and luxurious spending as well !

Let's see...my Prada shoes ALWAYS need repair before a pair from Aldo (or the like) So go figure.......

Up to a certain point, you get what you pay for. But after that, it's excess.

sometimes it does - you have to consider that some things are just made very well and garner a higher price. you wouldn't expect a pair of 19.99 3" heels to be super comfortable and last for ever right?

Definitely middle of the line is good if you can find a great style. I totally agree that in general Aldo has Prada beat, at least for value. So what if you don't get the "it" shoe, you can still find stylish stuff that might cost, oh say $500 less! I would definitely rather save $500 than have the very latest Prada shoe.

well i dunno... some of my best things are from thrift stores and cheaper places...

good point, looseseal. also, don't bite my hand off!

Which designer made the dress the model is wearing?

nope, not always

Price does NOT have a direct reflection of quality. There are products in every price range that are beautiful and well made, and products that are shoddily made and will fall apart quickly. It's all about knowing the product and not getting pulled in by advertising and marketing.

I just learned a valuable lesson recently that more expensive hair products are definitely not better products. After spending hundreds of dollars on hair repair products to help my brittle breaking hair, i found that the silicone free conditioners such as Suave, White Rain, and Vo5 have transformed my hair at $1 where the $8, $14, $50 products did nothing.

This goes for all fields, not just fashion and beauty. For instance, Hondas are known for being a less expensive car brand, but they're also known for lasting a realllly long time. A $4 brie isn't automatically inferior to the $8 one. As a matter of fact, sometimes it's superior.

It's all about value as well. I hate to pay retail for anything when I know it's going to go on sale for a fraction of the price in a month. I was able to find a pair of beautiful Italian made leather boots for $4 a few years ago and they still look almost new.

When it comes down to it, what's most important is being an informed shopper who knows the value of something when he or she sees it, as well as not letting oneself be overly influenced by marketing.

Good what? Good quality, good design, good relevance to my life? Gotta be more specific, Fab. I guess my answer is good quality=usually, good design=sometimes.

It all depends on the item. A handbag is definitely worth extra; if you want a quality shoe you have to pay more; is you just want a shoe for trend, I wouldn't pay too much. A classic item that you'll wear often is also worth it (peacoats, trench, black boots, black heels, trousers.) Jeans are a piece that you can go cheap on at times and sometimes it's fun to pay for designer.

This is a frustrating subject. Yes, I love some of my Target t-shirts, but lately it is difficult to find nice things that don't cost a fortune. No, I don't think you need to buy a $1900 bag because that's ridiculous, but it is frustrating that to find a decent pair of black pants these days, you have to shell out about 200 bucks--even at J. Crew! The cost of items in general has gone up and that is even more frustrating, especially to those of us with small bank accounts. And, yes, I love designer diffusion lines, but, let's face it: some of that Simply Vera stuff was cute, but way too overpriced for what it was--polyester. Ok, I think I've added my 2 cents.

Of course not.
Two words; Nouveau Riche.
Having said that, I must add that I have noticed that during my life, I have certain items, like precious really really expensive shoes and beautiful bags and coats from Chanel & Gucci, and they have been going with me for years, the cheap stuff comes and goes quickly, if you add all the cheap stuff up that I bought and if you look at what I am doing with it in comparance to one expensive item, for example the 900 dollar shoes turns out being more worth it than 10 pairs of 90 dollar shoes. I just have certain items that I always end up wearing. So yes in that sense, expensive can be better, but just because something is expensive, doesn´t make it better, for example a Hummer *laughs*

my boyfriend read this:
"does expensive equal good? no. it equals bad"
i like to have some expensive items, but it has to be something special and that i would use. it's worthless for me to pay a lot of money for something i would never use, so i own a lot of cheap jewelry that i only wear from time to time. but my signature necklace is marc jacobs.

lmao krisugar.
yeah sometimes, It all depends on the item.

Good catch, KrisSugr!

It really does depend on the item. You can tell quality when you see it and it doesn't always have THE most expensive price tag on it.

I've walked through Urban Outfitters(though it's not extremely expensive, it's still spendy) and seen things hanging on the racks with holes in them. My shirts from Forever 21 have lasted longer than shirts from other stores.

I have a Marc Jacobs bag the broke after 7 months of use. Although, I have to say I don't "baby" my bags at ALL. Anyway, I think it's all relative. Chanel bags have been recalled due to quality. i.e. Gold Chanel luxe ligne I believe was recalled because some of the bags eroded or flecked off.

it depends on the item... like bags or shoes. but some are just plain ridiculously overpriced just because it is branded.

I would say sometimes you can definitely understand why some items cost more: because they are just better quality (I am thinking of diapers and baby items here, also some food.) This does not really apply to clothes tho. I think brand names are really taking advantage... who can afford to pay 3 figures for a T-shirt????? But saying that, someone out there must buy it, otherwise they wouldn't be charging these prices.

the extra money adds as extra insurance, if it does malfunction they fix it for free.

creamytofu,

that's not always true. I was at Louis Vuitton looking at the Mini Monogram Lin Speedy 30 and was told that Louis Vuitton will repair some parts of the bag, but that if the linen exterior were to catch and run, they are NOT going to cover that. And that was a big reason I did NOT purchase that bag!!!

Sometimes but expensive doesn't always mean quality. Ever hear of scams???

I am a serious bargain shopper! I have some amazing pieces that I paid practically nothing for and have lasted passed a pair of jeans that cost more than $319. It's terrible.

Nope, expensive just equals your customer paying for your advertising and retail spaces. Quality is the most important thing, and that can be found at all price points.